Dreaming of Sunshine: Eclipse
by Exiled Immortal
Summary: The Elemental Nations are at war, and Shikaku Nara has fallen on the front lines. As the new head of the Nara clan, Shikamaru is determined that he will not lose his sister in the same way. When Shikako is forced to choose between her clan and her freedom, nothing will ever be the same.
1. Chapter 1

AN: This is set in Silver Queen's _Dreaming of Sunshine_ universe after war has broken out with Cloud and Rock on one side and Sand, Mist, and Leaf on the other. Kishimoto owns Naruto, and Silver Queen owns Shikako.

With all the tension between the Nara twins, I wondered how far each of them might go if push really came to shove. I knocked this out quick and figured I might as well post it. I have plenty of ideas about how to continue the story, maybe make it a two or three parter, but I don't know when or if I'll get around to that. Reviews certainly wouldn't hurt.

* * *

"You _what_?" I asked flatly.

A cascade of emotions churned within me in that moment, filling me up, the pressure of it throbbing in my ears in rhythm with my racing heart. There was betrayal, and disbelief, and _how dare he?_ Anger. That was the only overriding constant.

Shikamaru regarded me evenly from his seat at the desk, the clan head's desk, _dad's_ desk.

"I'm assigning you permanently to the Nara R&D division," he repeated. "The clan doesn't have anyone else with your expertise in seals. Your work will be invaluable to the war effort."

"The war effort?" I gaped at him. "The war effort. Did you think that phrasing it like that would make me take it any better? You couldn't have thought you'd actually be fooling anyone."

"Shikako—"

"Damn it Shikamaru, we only just buried dad and you want to do this now?"

He slammed his flesh and blood hand on the desk and rose to his feet. I glared up at him with killing intent only barely restrained.

"It's _because_ we lost him that I refuse to lose you too!" he shouted. "Do you even know what it does to me whenever you run off to get yourself half killed? And every time you can't wait to tell me how it's not a big deal, how it doesn't matter, how you don't care. Well I care, Shikako! I'm through with you being selfish with your life!"

"Selfish?" I nearly saw red. "You think I'm doing this out of selfishness? Do you even know me at all?"

Shikamaru set his jaw. "You're going to R&D. That's an order from your clan head."

I closed my eyes and took deep, heaving breaths. My arms were rigid at my sides. My green fingernails drew blood from my palms. There was an answer for this, wasn't there? It wasn't one that I liked, but father had anticipated it once upon a time. If Shikamaru had forgotten I only had to remind him.

"Your orders only matter as long as I'm part of the clan."

The threat alone would be enough, I thought. But then there was a rustle of paper and my brother went further than I ever thought he would.

"If your plan is to leave the Nara and continue taking missions on your own, you should know that it won't work." Shikamaru held up a document. "The clans of Konoha have certain rights that not even the Hokage can ignore. It turns out that the Hyūga set a precedent about rogue members."

"Blood limit safeguards," I choked out as I read the header. "You want to put a _seal_ on me?"

"No," Shikamaru admitted. "But if I raise the issue then your mission availability becomes an internal matter of the Nara clan, regardless of whether you acknowledge it or not. If Tsunade tries to intervene, the other clans will have to back me or lose their rights as well."

 _Checkmate_ , I read in his eyes.

It was ruthless, calculated, and I hadn't seen it coming. That was what hurt the most about it all. My imagination hadn't been vast enough to even consider this sort of betrayal, that Shikamaru might manipulate village law against me. On some level, I had trusted him not to. I stubbornly fought the angry tears in my eyes.

We'd been playing this game for a long time, Shika and I, but a line had been crossed now. The rules had changed. My freedom was at stake, and if I wanted to keep it, I'd need to do whatever it took to win. I'd need to cross some lines of my own.

Already the path forward was taking shape in my mind.

"Okay," I said with icy calmness. "My move."

* * *

If I hadn't still been furious, if I'd been any less desperate than I was at that moment, I might have lost my nerve or come to my senses and turned around. But that would mean going back to the Nara compound and submitting myself to my brother's authority. It would mean letting him win.

Shikamaru was not going to win.

I pounded on the door with just enough restraint so as not to break it. A familiar chakra jerked into motion and seconds later the door swung open. Sasuke stood before me, kunai in hand, Sharingan spinning wildly. He looked a little harried in his pajamas and I reminded myself that it was the middle of the night.

"What is it?" he hissed.

I squared my shoulders. "Marry me, Uchiha."


	2. Chapter 2

AN: There was really a great reaction to the first bit I posted so I felt compelled to follow up. Same deal as before, except I now recommend that everyone read both _Dreaming of Sunshine_ and also the _Sunshine Sidestories_ by Silver Queen (who was kind enough to review chapter one).

If you haven't read the _Sidestories_ then you will not understand all the references in this chapter.

I can't emphasize enough how your reviews motivated me to continue this.

* * *

It took precious minutes to convince Sasuke that I wasn't an imposter and that he wasn't under genjutsu. After a rushed explanation of the situation, I found myself sitting at his table while he made tea for us. Beyond the initial disbelief, he seemed more outraged on my behalf than anything.

"He's really trying to stop you from taking _any_ field missions?" Sasuke handed me a mug.

I sipped at the tea. "And he threatened to invoke the Hyūga precedent if I tried to leave the clan."

"Must have been quite an argument."

"He called me _selfish_."

A dark look crossed Sasuke's face. "That bastard."

"No, he's still my brother," I said tiredly. "He's just, when it comes to me he's always been a bit of an idiot. It's just worse than ever now that dad's not around to keep the peace. I guess neither of us have been dealing with it very well."

Sasuke tightened his grip on his mug. "I won't let them ground you."

"I know. You'd know what that's like better than anyone. That's why you were my first stop."

Truth be told I hadn't seriously considered options other than Sasuke. Sure, there were other clans that might've heard me out. Tsume Inuzuka probably would've thought that it would be worth a feud with the Nara. But there were politics there, expectations, things that I really didn't want to have to worry about on top of everything else. Not to mention that Sasuke and I were already practically family.

"But Shikako," Sasuke sighed, "this isn't—you don't have to—there are _other ways_ —"

"Adoption isn't as strong a legal institution as marriage in Konoha," I said patiently. "I did the research on this a while back for a clan member. I even officiated the wedding. If we tried adoption Shikamaru could still litigate it based on protecting the clan jutsu. But you're the head of the Uchiha clan. If you married me, no one can touch that. Even if it is a sham."

It was really my only guaranteed avenue of escape, short of defecting to Hidden Sand or becoming a missing nin. My brother had done his homework but he wouldn't have accounted for this. He knew I had no interest in marriage. If I became lady of the Uchiha, at worst this would become a dispute between clans and nothing that could affect my mission availability.

And if marrying Sasuke just happened to piss off Shikamaru that much more, then good.

Sasuke gave me a pained look. "You know that I want to revive my clan someday—"

"I know," I assured him. "This war, and all the other things I have to do, they'll be over eventually. And Shikamaru is too smart to stay this dumb forever. Annulment doesn't have to be a difficult process. The last thing I want to do is take anything away from you, Sasuke."

"Yeah." Sasuke ran a hand over his face. "Yeah, alright. How do we do this then?"

I bit my lip. "I brought the paperwork from the tower. I was thinking that we could just turn it in? Shikamaru can't fight it if it's already done."

His eyes widened fractionally. "You mean tonight?"

I nodded.

"What are we going to do for the officiant and witnesses?"

"You're a clan head, so by the letter of the law you can technically officiate." I shrugged. "As for the witness, I've got an idea for that."

"Are you going to ask Ino or something?"

I shook my head. "No, it's better not to drag the other clans into this. I don't want to drive a wedge between Shikamaru and the Yamanaka or the Akimichi. I was thinking of looking closer to home."

"Alright," Sasuke said, nonplussed. "Then who?"

* * *

Saidai Nara approached the door in trepidation. There were only so many reasons for someone to be knocking at this hour, and he couldn't think of any that were good. Had something happened? Risshuu was manning an outpost along one of the main supply routes but that was far from the border and the fighting. Surely nothing had befallen him there. And yet, irrational dread still coiled in Saidai's chest.

When the door opened it took him a moment to process the unexpected sight. Shikako was familiar to everyone in the clan, of course, but the handsome boy with dark hair was harder to place.

"Saidai-san, I was hoping that we could impose upon you for an urgent favor," Shikako said politely.

Even if Saidai hadn't owed her deference for being the late clan head's daughter, he would have felt obligated to honor any reasonable request. Shikako had stuck her neck out to help his family, after all, and he knew she was still grieving over the loss of her father.

"Of course," he said bemusedly. "What do you need?"

She gestured to her male companion.

"This is Sasuke Uchiha. We're getting married tonight and we need a witness to sign the documents."

Saidai blinked. "Come again?"

He hadn't misheard.

* * *

In the end there was a small ceremony, of sorts. Neither Sasuke nor I cared much about the theatrics, but Saidai had insisted on waking little Ritsu, who watched from the head of the table and rubbed her eyes tiredly. Three bowls of sake were laid out for us, and Sasuke and I sipped from each cup three times. Then we did the paperwork and that was it. As far as weddings went, it was as quick and dirty as they came.

Afterwards we stood and Sasuke bumped shoulders with me like we'd just finished training. We grinned as though sharing a private joke. Then I wrapped my arms around him, and he hugged me back, and we exchanged an unspoken _I'm here for you_ and _I appreciate that_. It wasn't a kiss, but it was genuine, intimate without pretension or artifice.

It was enough for us.

That night we slept in the same bed, as we'd already done before, back to back and utterly at peace.

No one else would know until morning.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: I originally envisioned this story as taking place near the end of the time skip years, while Naruto is still off training with Jiraiya, and honestly hadn't given much thought to his reaction. However, a lot of your reviews seem to expect Naruto, so I decided to get him in early. This must, therefore, be set in an unspecified time during Shippuden. I won't be incorporating any particular storylines. This will remain focused on the character dynamics.

Please note that I haven't forgotten about Kakashi. In this scenario he is simply deployed on the front lines as this _is_ wartime.

I will likely wait at least until the next chapter of _Dreaming of Sunshine_ before I update again. Although I do have trouble saying no to reviewers…

* * *

The next morning Sasuke and I planned out our next moves over breakfast. I had considered the possibility of simply continuing to take missions and allowing Shikamaru to discover the change in circumstance when he tried to block it, but that seemed a bit petty. Besides, there were other people who deserved to know.

"We need to tell my mother," I said. "She's trying to be strong for us but she misses dad as much as we do. Shikamaru and I fighting isn't going to help either. I don't want her to be blindsided."

Sasuke nodded. "Naruto too."

"Yeah, that one has to be handled delicately." I winced. "He might get the wrong idea. And start shouting loud enough for the whole village to hear those wrong ideas. I'd like to avoid that."

"Hn. And then?"

I sighed. "Then we might as well let everyone know."

"So you'll tell Ino."

"I'll tell Ino."

* * *

"What's this about, dear?"

If you hadn't lived with her for years you might not have noticed, but looking at mum I knew better. The slightest crease in her forehead, the wideness of her eyes, the tightness of her voice. She knew that being called here, to Sasuke's apartment, was highly unusual. This was a woman who had lost too much already and was bracing herself for more bad news. It put a lump in my throat.

Beneath the table Sasuke gripped my hand tighter.

"Last night," I said shakily, "Shikamaru ordered me to stop taking missions."

Mum closed her eyes. "Oh Shikako."

"He didn't tell you anything?"

She shook her head. "I knew that you two had an argument but he all he would say was that he was protecting the family."

"He was very thorough about it. He promised to use the full weight of the clan and village law if I tried to go around him."

When my mother looked at me again her eyes were wet and her voice was tremulous.

"Are you going to leave the village?"

 _That_ was not at all what I was expecting and it left me speechless for a moment. I could've guessed that mum knew me well enough to know that I wouldn't yield, but for her to be so sure that I would go that far…

"Yoshino-san," Sasuke interjected, much to my relief. "Last night your daughter asked me to marry her so that she could continue to make her own decisions as an Uchiha. I agreed, and by now the paperwork will be making its way through the tower."

Mum turned to stare at Sasuke.

"Oh," she said. "Well that's—that's—"

Her expression was gaining a sharp interest now that I felt an urge to nip in the bud.

"It's a sham marriage, mum," I explained hastily. "Yes, I'll probably be living here at least until Shikamaru comes to his senses, but it's not permanent. We'll get an annulment when it's safe. We haven't _done_ anything, and we're not going to _do_ anything, so you don't need to give us the talk."

The rest of the conversation went better than I expected. Mum seemed to be in higher spirits after being assured that I wasn't in any kind of trouble, and of all things she actually seemed disappointed that the marriage was a sham. After regaling us with stories of when dad used to live in her apartment, I realized it was the first time since the funeral that she'd been able to talk about him without crying. I was glad for that.

On the way out she glanced surreptitiously at Sasuke and whispered something in my ear that made me blush.

"You could do a lot worse than him."

* * *

"HE DID WHAT?"

"Naruto, lower your voice!" I hissed.

"But Shikamaru can't force you to stop taking missions, he can't!" Naruto raged. "It's not right! You're a hundred times stronger than he is! He's just your brother, not the Hokage, where does he get off giving you orders like that?"

"He was her clan head," Sasuke explained patiently. "But don't worry about it, Shikako and I found a solution."

Naruto brightened up. "You did?"

"We did." I nodded. "We got married last night, but it's just—"

"YOU DID WHAT?"

Sasuke glowered. "Keep it down, idiot!"

After explaining to Naruto the concept of a marriage on paper, and then explaining it again just to make sure it stuck, our teammate was surprisingly quiet and contemplative. He looked at us with uncertainty, as though seeing us for the first time. A cold dread settled in my stomach. Did he disapprove?

"So you two," he said at last. "You don't—you didn't need me at all."

Oh. Leave it to Naruto to feel _left out_ of our sham marriage.

"Naruto," I said gently. "This doesn't change anything between the three of us. If I needed to prank my brother I'd come to you. It turns out I just needed a clan, and Sasuke was able to help me with that."

Naruto didn't look convinced. For someone who was usually so strong and confident, he looked strangely vulnerable in that moment. I guess I hadn't really considered what it was like for him, to be away for three years while Sasuke and both I remained in Konoha together. Maybe that made me a bad teammate, but this was the first time he'd shown any sign of insecurity.

Feeling my heart melt, I stepped forward and slipped my arms around Naruto's waist. He returned the embrace even more fiercely than usual. I glanced at Sasuke, beckoning him with a tilt of my head. My husband (and wasn't _that_ a strange idea?) rolled his eyes, but joined the group hug anyway.

"We're a team, Naruto," I murmured. "You'll always have us, and we'll always have you. Never doubt that."

* * *

AN: More reactions to come, when and if I write another chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Well Silver Queen came through with another lovely chapter of _Dreaming of Sunshine_ , and I promised I would try to continue this when that happened. So here we go. It's kind of quick and dirty. I challenged myself to just finish it up in a timely manner without worrying too much about whether it lived up to what I had imagined.

Again, you can probably expect another update around the time the next chapter of _Dreaming of Sunshine_ is posted.

* * *

When Ino spotted me the first thing she did was sweep me up into an exuberant hug.

"Shikako! How've you been? It feels like I haven't seen you in forever!"

I had invited Ino and Chouji to the barbeque place that served as Team 10's equivalent of Ichiraku for a light lunch. Of course, "light" in Chouji's case was a relative term, and he spent several minutes ordering half the menu while Ino and I exchanged pleasantries and caught up. It was rare these days for them both to be free at the same time; Chouji was often deployed near and around the front lines, while Ino was busier than ever helping her father deal with the influx of war prisoners.

"So is Shikamaru going to be joining us?" Ino asked. "When I got your invitation I kind of expected that he'd be with you."

"Actually," I said carefully, "that's what I wanted to talk to you about."

Ino narrowed her eyes at that and Chouji stiffened. I could tell what they were thinking; an unexpected absence, ongoing war, it was normal to imagine the worst. I forced a smile, even though I was on pins and needles, and while they knew something was up I think they got from my demeanor that nothing truly horrible could've happened.

I started by relating the fight I'd had with Shikamaru the night before.

"Oh no. _He didn't_." Ino groaned.

I nodded gravely. "He did."

"And I'm guessing you're not just taking it lying down," Ino sighed.

Chouji shifted uncomfortably. "Did you want us to talk to him?"

"No need," I replied cheerfully. "You see, I realized that all I had to do to get out from under Shikamaru's thumb would be to marry into another clan. Just a thing on paper, you know, a legal loophole. So last night Sasuke and I got married."

Dead silence. Chouji dropped his chopsticks. Ino stared at me with eyes impossibly wide.

"You got married?" she said at last in a strangled voice.

I nodded.

"To Sasuke."

I nodded again.

"And you had the wedding without me?!"

She sounded positively scandalized, which I had been expecting, and had prepared an answer for.

"If Shikamaru thought you had a part in it he'd never forgive you," I pointed out. "Really, it's not that big a deal. All it means is that I'll have to change my living arrangements."

"Not a big deal?" Ino pressed her palms to her chest and made a sound like a tea kettle. "Shikako, you just married Sasuke Uchiha and you think it's not a big deal?! Do you have any idea how many girls would commit actual murder to be in your shoes right now?"

"They'd probably be disappointed to find that the clothes stay on in our marriage," I said dryly.

Chouji looked like he wished someone would tell him what to say. "Um. Congratulations?"

"It's so not fair." Ino sighed. "You never cared at all about romance and yet you're the one who always has these handsome guys dangling all over you."

"What?" I sputtered. "I do not!"

Ino raised an eyebrow. "Come on. Don't think that anyone's forgotten about that _gorgeous_ specimen from Hidden Mist, crowning you like a princess in Grass. Then there was tall, dark, and pale, who I've _never_ seen around except in your company. And then there was the Kazekage when he took your hand and—"

I was quite sure my face was beet red at this point. "They're just friends! I'm allowed to have friends!"

"Such a waste," Ino murmured. "If only I had your ability to summon total hotties out of thin air. We need to go on more missions together, see if I can catch some of those crumbs off your table."

"There is no table! There are no crumbs!"

"And now you're married to Sasuke. The one kunoichi at the academy who had no interest in him, so of course you'd end up on his team and tying the knot."

I looked desperately at Chouji for help. I had no clue, no frame of reference, for how to handle Ino when she got in one of these moods. For his part, Chouji seemed even more lost than I was.

"Have you told Shikamaru yet?" Chouji asked.

I almost welcomed the change in topic. "No. It's not, strictly speaking, his business anymore. And I don't want to be the one to tell him. It would come off as, I don't know, gloating? Rubbing it in? All I want to do is move on."

"We can break the news to him if that's what you want," Chouji said. "But I think he'd want to hear it from you."

I closed my eyes and shook my head at that.

"Shikamaru shouldn't complain. He was dating before any of us," Ino sniffed. "Are you _sure_ it isn't some kind of Nara blood limit?"

* * *

I tried not to think about Shikamaru and all the ways he might react, none of them good, and of course I failed miserably. My paranoia led me to decide to lie low for the rest of the day, and so I retreated to the apartment I now shared with Sasuke. If Shikamaru came to kill Sasuke or something I figured he'd try there first.

Of course I quickly got restless and pacing wasn't doing me much good. Desperate for a distraction, I started preparing dinner early. Things kind of got out of hand, and by the time Sasuke returned from his patrol he found me putting the finishing touches on a veritable feast.

He stared at the sumptuous spread and then looked at me a little guiltily.

"You didn't have to—"

I waved him off. "It's fine. I just felt like it."

Sasuke didn't question that. If there was one thing I really appreciated about him, it was that he always knew when not to push. As we sat down at the table and enjoyed our dinner together, I almost chuckled at how stereotypically domestic the scene was.

If you squinted, it almost looked like a real marriage.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: The latest chapter of Dreaming of Sunshine is out so I did my best to throw this together as soon as I could! This chapter has the big one that people have been waiting for. Now, I must confess that I haven't been feeling well lately, so I'm not sure if it turned out exactly as I intended. Hopefully it won't disappoint!

* * *

The sun went down and rose again the next day without incident, leaving me even more on edge than before. It was too much to hope for that Shikamaru would just let it go, and every minute without any word from him made me more concerned about what thoughts and plans might be going through his head. His natural brilliance aside, Shika was uncharacteristically irrational when it came to me. I couldn't predict him anymore, something that would have once shocked me. I suppose that went both ways now.

Sasuke left early to go out on patrol, and I saw him off first with lunch packed in a sealing scroll. I wouldn't be expected at ANBU headquarters for another hour yet, but I decided I might as well head out too. With plenty of time to spare I didn't bother putting on my uniform and mask. I kept to the busy streets, maintaining a leisurely pace for a ninja. I had just passed through the market when I felt an all too familiar chakra slinking towards me. I steeled myself. There was no running from this.

"Shikako."

I hid the way my throat constricted and heart clenched at the sound of my brother's voice. I decided to play it cool and keep it formal, reinforce that we were no longer part of the same clan. I definitely _wasn't_ trying to be petty.

"Nara-sama." I turned and bowed politely.

Okay, so maybe that was a little petty.

Shikamaru flinched but quickly composed himself. There was cold anger on his face but I could see the hurt in his eyes.

"Why?" he demanded.

"Why what?" I shot back. "Why did I marry out of the clan? Why did I choose Sasuke? Why do I want to keep being a ninja? I _do_ want to keep being a ninja, Shikamaru, and it's not up to you to tell me I can't."

"You are going to get yourself killed," Shikamaru said emphatically, with iron certainty in his voice. "Again. And next time I won't be there to bring you back. It'll be easy for you then, you're not the one who's going to have to live with—"

Alright, I'd heard this all before and wasn't about to give him a chance to get going again. That could only end with raised voices and regrets.

"It's not about you!" I interrupted. "I know you care, Shika, but you can care about someone without trying to control their life. Has it never occurred to you that I might want to protect you too? Did you not see how it destroyed me inside when you lost your arm? And yet I didn't try to make it about me, I didn't try to force you to quit!"

"No," Shikamaru agreed. "You just up and vanished like you always do. Like you did two nights ago. You threw away your name and our clan like it didn't even mean anything to you."

"Don't put that on me! I never wanted to get married. I would've been happy to die a Nara. I only did what I did because you didn't give me any other choice!"

"That's the problem. You've always been too happy to die."

"Don't twist my words!"

Shikamaru glared. "You had a choice. You could've gone to R&D. Instead you decided to throw yourself at the Uchiha like a common—"

He caught himself before he could finish that thought, but the unspoken word hung in the air between us. I felt my own anger building like pressure in a kettle, like there were drums in my ears. I willed myself to be calm. We were in a public place, in a village of ninja, and although neither of us were exactly yelling, it was safe to assume that everyone could hear. Already we were getting funny looks.

"Sasuke has nothing to do with this," I said tightly. "It's a marriage of convenience, and unlike _someone_ I know he doesn't seem to think he owns me."

Shikamaru fixed me with a level stare. "He's hurt you before."

I reluctantly recalled the Forest of Death and the chat Shikamaru had had with Sasuke. Sasuke hadn't relaxed around him for years afterwards.

"That wasn't his fault!" I protested. "He didn't mean it. It was my choice to get in the way."

"Are you even listening to yourself?" Shikamaru said incredulously. "And you wonder why I worry? You don't take care of yourself, Shikako! If I didn't try then no one would. Don't think that I'm about to allow Uchiha do as he pleases with my sister!"

"Allow?" I blinked. "Shikamaru, you don't get to decide for me anymore. I double checked the paperwork. It's done. There's nothing you can do."

Shikamaru went silent at that, but there was a set to his jaw and a glint in his eye that I didn't like, that practically screamed that he was thinking about further escalation. There were limited possibilities there and every one sent a chill down my spine.

I took a deep breath.

"Shikamaru, I love you, you're my brother, but if you hurt Sasuke in any way then so help me you will have one very motivated _Uchiha_ out to avenge her husband."

My brother's expression darkened as he looked away.

"What could you do to me that's worse than what you've already done, Shikako?" he replied bitterly. "Tell me what's worse than watching you die in my arms with a sword through your chest."

Those words cut deeper than any insult he could have thrown. It was worse than hate; it was a love that had turned jagged and sharp and hurtful to the both of us. I couldn't think of anything to say to that, so like a coward I just turned and left with a body flicker.

* * *

AN: That's all folks! Next chapter, whenever Silver Queen so blesses us, will deal with some of the internal fallout in the Nara clan.


End file.
